McDonald's to face critics at annual meeting

Protesters walk down Jorie Blvd. in Oak Brook, Wednesday, May 21, 2014 near the McDonaldís Corp. headquarters in Oak Brook, Ill. railing about low wages and seeking $15 per hour for the rank and file. The Workers Organizing Committee of Chicagoís Fight for 15 said in a statement that restaurant workers have held strikes and protests six times in the last 1 1/2 years challenging the companyís median wage of $8.94. The Wednesday protest is a preview of what the group said it plans for Thursdayís annual stockholderís meeting. The company closed one of its five buildings in anticipation of the protests.(AP Photo / Daily Herald, Bev Horne)

OAK BROOK – McDonald's is set to face criticism on issues including worker pay and marketing to children at its shareholders meeting Thursday morning.

Critics plan to confront CEO Don Thompson during the question-and-answer portion of the annual event. Already on Wednesday, McDonald's closed one of its buildings in Oak Brook, Illinois, where hundreds of protesters had planned to demonstrate over the low wages paid to its workers.

The protesters were out again before the meeting was set to begin Thursday, chanting "I want, I want, I want my $15."

Shawn Dalton, 59, traveled from Pittsburgh, saying she wanted to support fast-food and minimum-wage workers. Dalton said her daughter is a recent high school graduate who can't afford to go to college right away, so she'll likely wind up earning Pennsylvania's $7.25-an-hour minimum wage.

Inside the meeting, individuals affiliated with Corporate Accountability intended to once again bring up the company's marketing to children. Last year, the group made headlines after it arranged to have a 9-year-old girl ask Thompson to stop "tricking" kids into eating McDonald's food.

McDonald's representatives didn't immediately respond when asked if they planned to change the way it conducts its question-and-answer period this year. In past years, people have been able to stand and directly address executives.

Shareholder meetings offer a rare opportunity for average investors to face top executives at publicly traded companies. Public pension funds and activist groups often show up in hopes of changing corporate practices.

The McDonald's meeting is a frequent target because of the company's high profile.